is it ok to insert a 800mhz ddr2 ram into a 667mhz ram bank

TigerUK · 22 Mar 2011 at 21:10

I just put together a kids PC with a neat budget of £140 using used parts.

E6600 ~£36
4GB DDR2 667mhz [waiting to receive] ~£33
MS-7336 [OEM mobo for HP PCs, hope I don't have any issues because there is no support for this what so ever] ~£34
Case + 500w PSU ~£27
DVD-RW ~£12
160gb hard drive - donor
akasa CPU cooler - donor

Now, I've put everything together, however I haven't received the RAM yet, and I'm itching to fire the thing up and see if everything is working.

As the topic says, would it be ok to insert my 800mhz ddr2 rams into this mobo which takes 667mhz ddr2 rams

Or will I risk exploding it?

I'd like to use it today at least to install windows, and test to see if the rig works.

mikeyholt · 22 Mar 2011 at 22:34

Is the max speed 667? If so, you will most likely be throttled at 667MHz of speed. Nothing like an explosion should happen. At worst, the RAM stick won't be recognised.

TigerUK · 22 Mar 2011 at 23:33

thanks for te info.

I inserted the 800mhz ram and it didn't work, still got the same problem. No display and no sign of boot or CPU activity.

I'm hoping that with the correct ram I will get the thing started up, if not then it's obvious that the mobo is faulty, [independently tested the CPU].

Such a pain, I think I may have been flogged a non-working mobo.

deusexlumina · 22 Mar 2011 at 23:39

to be honest you should find a basic 775 mobo now for circa 15-20 used. a decent one would set you back between 30 and 40 so even if it is a duffer, i wouldnt worry. Obviously one would hope this one works though.

Sometimes mobos have problems with ram voltage. some sticks are rated as 2.1v when the mobo will only push 1.8v. This may be the issue here, especially with an oem hp board.

mikeyholt · 23 Mar 2011 at 15:47

Good luck with your endeavour.

ih8modem · 23 Mar 2011 at 22:51

MSI m7336

Its basically an OEM board used in the HP dx2300 series

Here is some specs surrounding the memory - which may be helpful in determining why your current RAM does not work :

DDR2-SDRAM DIMMs
For proper system operation, the DDR2-SDRAM DIMMs must be:
● industry-standard 240-pin
● unbuffered PC2-5300 667 MHz-compliant
● 1.9 volt DDR2-SDRAM DIMMs
The DDR2-SDRAM DIMMs must also:
● support CAS latency 4 (CL = 4) for PC2-5300 667 MHz
● contain the mandatory JEDEC SPD information
In addition, the computer supports:
● 256Mbit, 512Mbit, and 1Gbit non-ECC memory technologies
● single-sided and double-sided DIMMs
● DIMMs constructed with x8 and x16 DDR devices; DIMMs constructed with x4 SDRAM are not
supported
NOTE: The system will not start if you install unsupported DIMMs.

Looks like the board can only take up to a max 1GB DIMM, what were you trying to use.

Ps ... the document I got this from is here :
http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00872974/c00872974.pdf

some more resources on the original tower PC here :
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...swLang=13&mode=2&taskId=135&swItem=vc-67041-1

ih8modem · 23 Mar 2011 at 22:53

new mobo

I think you were overcharged for that board unless it has some nice features on it. I cant find specs, but I'm pretty sure the e6600 is a socket 775 cpu, perhaps consider a new board ?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-367-AS

Only 32 quid here at OCUK

deusexlumina · 23 Mar 2011 at 23:17

ih8modem said:
I think you were overcharged for that board unless it has some nice features on it. I cant find specs, but I'm pretty sure the e6600 is a socket 775 cpu, perhaps consider a new board ?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-367-AS

Only 32 quid here at OCUK

This tbh mate.

A different board will save you so much time and possibly money, and simply have better support and even overclocking options. Second hand would be my choice, although as pointed out even new ones arnt that expensive.

zYx · 25 Mar 2011 at 01:14

TigerUK said:
I just put together a kids PC with a neat budget of £140 using used parts.

E6600 ~£36
4GB DDR2 667mhz [waiting to receive] ~£33
MS-7336 [OEM mobo for HP PCs, hope I don't have any issues because there is no support for this what so ever] ~£34
Case + 500w PSU ~£27
DVD-RW ~£12
160gb hard drive - donor
akasa CPU cooler - donor

Now, I've put everything together, however I haven't received the RAM yet, and I'm itching to fire the thing up and see if everything is working.

As the topic says, would it be ok to insert my 800mhz ddr2 rams into this mobo which takes 667mhz ddr2 rams

Or will I risk exploding it?

I'd like to use it today at least to install windows, and test to see if the rig works.

You can and you'll have 667 max speed.